Auburn defeats Federal Way
It definitely wasn’t the way the Federal Way Eagles wanted to start their 2009 South Puget Sound League 4A North campaign.
On Sept. 3, the Eagles were dominated by the Auburn Trojans, losing 42-7 at Auburn Memorial Stadium.
“We got beat by a better football team today,” Federal Way head coach John Meagher said. “Auburn played well, we didn’t play so well. We’ve got some work to do.”
The trouble started right off the bat for the Eagles, when Auburn recovered the opening onside kick at the Federal Way 40 yard line.
Auburn junior Alphonse Wade drew first blood on the first play from scrimmage, capitalizing on a Chris Young block and running it in from the 40 for a touchdown. Federal Way showed signs of life in its ensuing offensive series, marching the ball down to the Auburn 23 yardline before Eagle quarterback Nick Tanielu was intercepted by Auburn’s Clayton Brown.
Federal Way finally scored in the contest at the end of the first half, with Tanielu finding Alden Coleman in the end zone from six yards out. Tanielu proved to be the Eagles’ bright spot in the contest, completing 21 of 34 passes for 223 yards and a TD.
“I really didn’t expect a blowout like this,” Trojans quarterback Marshall Klontz said after the game. “I expected to win, but I definitely did not expect a blowout like that.”
The Eagles will play Emerald Ridge in a non-league game at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. — By Shawn Skager, Auburn Reporter
Tahoma tops Thomas Jefferson
The Tahoma Bears broke out of the gate with a first-game victory, 26-6, at home over Thomas Jefferson High School on Sept. 4.
It may not have been the prettiest game, with fumbles and penalties hurting both teams, but it gave the Bears an important win in the South Puget Sound League 4A North Division.
Bears coach Tony Davis said of the game, “Gives us things to work on next week.”
Tahoma will travel to Auburn Riverside for a 7 p.m. game Sept. 11.
For the Raiders, coach Dean Peck said he is starting a “lot of sophomores and they made some sophomore mistakes. We will focus on some things and play harder next week.”
Peck said his defense played “harder than 26 points.”
The Bears scored once in each quarter, with Niko Madison crossing the line twice, once on a 46-yard run in the first quarter and a 19-yarder in the third.
Tyler Phippen scored in the second quarter, and Jeff Thompson grabbed a pass from quarterback Travis Montoya to score on a 33-yard pass play in the fourth.
The Raiders scored early in the fourth with Spencer Hicks grabbing a short pass from K.W. Williams.
The Raiders showed good quickness on both sides of the ball, but had trouble stopping the Bears running game in the second half. — By Dennis Box, Maple Valley Reporter
Decatur defeats Emerald-Ridge
The Decatur High School football team was victorious in its first game of the season Thursday. A home game against Emerald-Ridge ended with a score 31-12.
Quarterback Alex Bykovskiy was part of three touchdowns, throwing for two along with running in the first points of Decatur’s season. Receiver Cary Carver also had two touchdowns with 114 yards receiving. No injuries occured.
Next game will be on Friday, Sept. 11, at Puyallup. — By Beth Elliott, Federal Way Mirror
Spanaway Lake beats Todd Beamer
The Todd Beamer Titans lost their season opener to Spanaway Lake on Friday, Sept. 4, with a final score of 25-13. Beamer scored in the first quarter after a 90-yard kickoff return by Jaylen Mefi, and Lamar Williams scored on a 53-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
“We made a lot of mistakes — all fixable mistakes,” said Titans coach David Sundheim. “We need to execute things we’ve been coache to do.”
The Titans will have a chance for redemption on Sept. 12 when they play the Graham-Kapowsin Eagles. Sundheim reiterated that the key to a Titans victory would come down to “simple execution.” <em — Beth Elliott, Federal Way Mirror
